Towel-holder.



PATENTBD FEB. 18, 1908.

G. ARNING.

TOWEL HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1907.

I m 0 a M a aitoznm RS cu., WASHINGTON, v. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOWEL-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

Application filed April 6 1907- Serial No. 366.823.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that l, CHARLES ARNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Towel-Holders, of. which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a towel holder of that type composed of a wire structure provided with spring jaws between which the towels or other articles are securely held.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a towel holder of this character which is of comparatively simple, inexpensive and, substantial construction and so designed that one or a number of towels can be readily inserted between the jaws and gripped thereby.

A further object of the invention is the provision ofa holder for towels and the like 7 which is provided with staple points at its F structed.

ends whereby the device can be secured to a support such as a window frame, the Wamscotmg of a room, the ed e of a drain-port or the like, either in vertica or horizontal position, no nails or screws being required for securing the holder in place.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the towel holder. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mouth portion thereof.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the spring wire from which the holder is con- The wire is of suitable length and has its ends 2 sharpened to form staples to be driven into the support for the holder. The wire is doubled to form a U-shaped jaw 3, one member of which is formed into a helical coil 4 at one end, and the other bent or offset at 5 through the coil and extending longitudinally from the offset, as at 6, and terminating in the top staple point 2. The coil is arranged so as to stand in a plane at right angles to the surface of the support or member .to which the holder is attached and the portion of the wire connected with the coil 4 is bent to extend along the movable jaw 2 to form a stationary jaw 7 having a plurality of corrugations 8 which serve to give tenacity to the holder whereby the towels and other articles can be more firmly gripped. The jaw 7, which is curved outwardly at its middle portion, has its lower end extended through the free end or looped portion of the movable jaw and terminates in the second staple point 2. As shown in Fig. 2, when the holder is positioned on its support, the jaw 3 bears on the surface of the support, thereby holding the extremity of the movable jaw so that a mouth 9 is formed between the two jaws.

To apply a towel or other article to the holder, it is merely necessary to insert the same into the mouth and exert an upward pressure, thereby causing the movable jaw to swing outwardly under the upward movement of the towel or article. The towel is inserted a sufiicient distance to permit the corrugated portion 8 to' firmly take hold thereof. Another way to insert the article is to take hold of the free outwardly curved end of the movable jaw 3 and spring the jaw outwardly beyond the fixed jaw so that one or a large number of articles can be inserted between them, whereupon the movable jaw is released to be permitted to spring back and clam the articles in position. To remove anythlng held by the holder, it is simply necessary to take hold of the article and pull it out.

It will be noted that the extremities of the wires project a sufiicient distance beyond the coil 4 at one end and the extremity of the movable jaw at the other, so that the staple points can be readily driven into the support for the holder by a hammer.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of o eration will be readily apparent to those skil ed in the art to which theinvention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired, as are Within the scope of the claims,

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. A holder of the class described comprising a single length of wire bent into a U- shaped jaw, a second jaw, a coil connecting the jaws, one extremity of the wire being offset to pass through the coil and hold the latter against a support for the device, and

staple points on the extremities of the wire for attaching the device to a support.

2. A device of the class described comprising a single length of wire bent into a U- shaped jaw composed of two members, a second jaw composed of one member, a coil between the second jaw and one of the mem bers of the first jaw, the said U-shaped jaw being movable outwardly from the fixed jaw and normally straddling the latter, means at the extremity of the second jaw for attaching the device to a support, and means on the extremity of one of the members of the U- shaped jaw for securing the opposite end of the device to a support, there being an offset in the said member passing through the coil for holding the coiled end of the device fixed.

' In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES ARNING.

Witnesses JOHN T. DELANEY, THoMAs MACK. 

